Lance Armstrong Visits Nevada Cancer Institute

Celebrity Sighting: Lance Armstrong visits Nevada Cancer Institute

Photos Courtesy of Getty Images
Lance Armstrong visited Nevada Cancer Institute (NVCI) yesterday in honor of LIVESTRONG Day, a one-day initiative by the Lance Armstrong Foundation to raise awareness for the cancer fight and to show support for people affected by cancer. The seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor spoke to a group of 100 patients, staff and volunteers about the overall cost that cancer impacts on our economy, the importance of encouraging politicians to support funding towards research and treatment, and his continued mission of spreading hope to victims and survivors.

“We must win this war,” Lance said to the audience which resulted in an eruption of applause.

After speaking with the group, Lance took a tour of the Institute with NVCI Chairman Heather Murren, Chief Executive Officer Sandra Murdock, and Director Nicholas Vogelzang. While touring the chemotherapy suite, he had a chance to speak with fellow cancer survivors Arthur Anderson, Stacey Escalante, Elaine Lipton and Justine Harrison about each of their personal battles. He then met with Dr. Nam Hoang Dang, NVCI chief of hematological malignancies, to discuss his cutting edge research and clinical trials for lymphoma patients. This was Lance’s first visit to NVCI, and he shared how impressed he was with the beautiful facility and the organization that has impacted so many lives in a positive way.

Lance’s visit was the culmination of a full day celebration at NVCI in honor of LIVESTRONG Day. The Institute had set a goal to sign up more than 200 people across the state at their offices in Las Vegas, Sparks, Elko and Fallon for the LIVESTRONG Army, a dynamic group of people who unite to make cancer research, treatment and education a priority in their community, at the state level and across the country. The NVCI staff and volunteers surpassed that goal by having over 500 Nevada residents volunteer to be part of this amazing group aimed to raise awareness and actively lobby for continued growth towards the fight against cancer.

NVCI was the final of four stops during a nationwide fly-around including visits to Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention, Ohio State University’s James Cancer Hospital, and the University of Denver. This marked the fifth anniversary of LIVESTRONG Day and the first time that Lance had celebrated it in the state of Nevada.